Underframe-reinforcement.



A H. WESTON. UNDERFRAM E REINFORCEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-38.1914.

Patemcd July 3i, 191?.

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UNITED swarms PA T oirnron.

ARTHUR H. WESTON, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE T H. SYMINGTON COMPANY, OF BALTIMORE," lYll-ABYLAND, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

NnERFn ME-REr vFonoEMnnn Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 31, 1 917.

Application filed December 18, 1914. Serial No. 877,842.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ARTHUR H. lVEsToN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Underframe-lleinforcement, of which the following is a specification.

Owing to the continually increasing weight and power of the freight locomotives in use and the consequent increase in the length of freight trains and therefore of the intensity of the drawing anddbufiing '2 stresses applied to the cars, the old wooden because they are insufficient to meet the deunderfra'mes are rapidly becoming obsolete mands laced upon them by the new conditions. Moreparticularly, the bolts which hold the cheek plates pull out of the wood causing" failure by splittiii around the bolt holes and lieys; also the fact that the draft sills are placed below the center sills causes a downward bending moment to. be applied to these sills in buffing which is frequently in excess of the transyerse strength of the sills so that they break downward over the bolster.

Failure of the underframe inall of these aii ddother forms leads to breaking of trains andderaihnents resulting in frequent Wrecks with the usual property damage and loss of life. These conditions are now generally recognized and have resulted infthe demand for new equipment. However, in many instances the expense'involved is prohibitive.

, 1 To meet the difiiculties thus presented', the

ap icant has evolved a center sill reinforcerfint by means of which'the old cars are rendered fit for use. This includes metal draft plates to take the ,place of the old wooden draft sills and, ,continuous metal beams extending along thbills whereby the draft at the front land rear'of the car are supported uand iprfefefaloly tied together. The draft plates each have'a' depending-portion extending below the sills. Thisforlns a seat for the corresponding cheekplate, and the draft plates provide f, h shaped to cooperate with the originaleheek of the sills I metal members, pulling out of the bolts, splitting at the keys and failure from similar causes are prevented and the whole structure'is reinforced in front of and in the vicinity of the bolster so that breaking down at this point is prevented. A laterally extending horizontal web is also provided in the vicinity of the-bolster sufficient to resist the lateral stresses applied to the sills.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown so much of a Wooden underfranie reinforced in accordance with my invention in its preferred form, as is necessary to its illustration.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section view of the central portion of the car underframe showin the wooden center sill reinforced by :1. meta lic draft plate, portions of the underframe being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the draft plate. a

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the lower 1portion of the draft plate showing a chee Fi d is a cross section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, the wooden center sills l extend from end to end of the car and are reinforced by members which may be in the form of channel irons 9 secured to the inner faces of the 1 plate assembled therewith, and

sills by means of bolts 3. In the form of 4 the invention shown, these channels terminate at the front and rear near the rear ends of the cheek plates, though they may extend -forward to the end sills.

Secured to the channels 2 at each end and v also to the inner faces of the center sills, I

' the draft plates anithe wooden sills. In

the instance illustrated, to avoid cutting the 'wooden sills, the channels are sprung this: seat plates used on the wooden frame. Most of these old cheek plates have lugs to be set into the wood andthe draft timbers in cars so equipped are recessed to receive these lugs, sotliat the old cheek plates can be used in the reinforced structure. By use of these slightly at 8 so as to cause them to overlie the plates 4 which, instead of being set into the sills as shown, are laid on. the inner faces of the sills. To give sufiicient space- .to accommodate the draft gear made of. standard width to fit between the sills, the plates are shown'as ofi'set at 9, see Fig. 4, at the lower ed es of the sills bringing the inner faces of t he lower or depending por-r.

tions ofv the plates 10 into the same vertical L11 plane as the outer faces 11, 2', (1., those which are disposed toward the sills, and the top portions of the plates. The lower edges of the plates in the form of the invention shown, turned outward at 12 to form stiffening member and the frontends are connected to the end sill by means of vertical angles 13 each having one flange secured to the corresponding draft plate and the other flange bolted to the timber, as shown, by means of bolts 11%.

At the rear the draft plate is cut away at the bottom to the height of the bolster, giving a YlolCill edge 15 which is secured to the bolster byslneans of a vertical angle it having one flange riveted to the central web of the bolsterat l? and the other edge to the plate. The upper portion of the plate extends Well to the rear of the bolster along the surface of the center sill, the llat face being covered by the channel as previously described, and the entire portion of the plate which is ovelapped by the channel, cured to the channel by means of rivets (5 and bolts 3, as described.

The draft plate l is reinforced centrally, or rather the top edge of the depending: por tion. of the draft plate is secured to the sills by means of a horizontal angle iron 18 having one flange, which is Vertical, secured to the outer face of the plate along;- the pper edge ofthe depending portion and the other flange, Which is horizontal, secured to the bottom surface of the sill The lower portion of the draft plate 4; is provided -With a plurality of rece s 19 and 20 which. are adapted to receive a corresponding'ly formed lugs or projections 2i and formed on the rear tare oi the cheek plates or stop castings 23. Iii-wooden car construction it is customary to provide gains orlrahbett ceive the projecting lugs 93,.

necessary to provide these recei metal draft plates to receive these .rorces order to permit the use of the old cheek plates with the new construction,

Thus the sills are reinforcedthroughout in the Wooden si ls in order to rcmay be omitted.

l have thus desc ibed in) invent preferred form specifically and in de ail on in its r in order that its nature and operation may be clearly understood. However, specific terms herein a e used in their descriptive rather than in their limiting; and the scope of the invention is defined in the claim:

in conibiinition with cheek pie pro- Yided with projecting lugs or bosses on the outer tacos thereof, wooden center sills": metal plates connected to the in faces of the said sills adjacent the ends thereof and dene oinp; belm'vthe s; the depending port et said draft 1 bein provided on their adjacent recv adapted to receive the or-niceluggs on the cheek plates. y

Signed by me at llaltinnjare, hiujqland, lhis llth day of December, Elli-l.

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